Game apparatus



Get. 27, 1925'. 1,558,690

E. P. M COLLOM GAME APPARATUS Filed Dec. 1923 11v VEN TOR EJFZZII B M o/1017f,

6 11 z (MM 96 A TTORNE YS Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN R'MOOOLLOM, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

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Application filed December 29, 1923'. Serial No. 683,441.

To all it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN P. MoCoLmM,

a citizen of the United States, residing-in the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvegame apparatus of simplified construction which affords facilities whereby various games may be layed which will provide entertainment and amusement the players without causing any appreciable mental strain.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus of the character described which is adapted to be used in the playing of games in which any limlted number of players, more pate.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings', in which 5- igure 1 is a plan view showing a game board which is comprised in the apparatus,

Figure 2 is an edge view of the game board,

Figure 3 is a perspectlve vlew showing playing cards which are adapted to be used in conjunction with the game board.

In carrying out the invention, I provide a game board 1- which may be formed of any suitable material and may have any suitable construction, preferably being square in configuration and being of folding constructlon,

consisting of two similar sections hinged together at 2 so that the board may be folded along a median line thereof- The normally upper face of the board has a series of lines 3 ruled thereon, the respective lines 3 being in spaced parallel relation to one another and in parallel relation to two parallel edges of the game board. The lines 3 are intersected at right angles by a like number of spaced apart parallel lines 4, whereby the upper face of the board is divided into a plurality of spaces or divisions 5 which are square in configuration. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, forty-nine of the spaces 5 are provided and the respective spaces 5 are arthan' one, may particiranged in seven arallel rows of seven spaces each when the board 1 is viewed from any of the four sides thereof.

Each of the spaces 5 has a central marking produced thereon, as indicated at 6. Also,

eachof the spaces 5 bears an identifying character which in the present instance is one of numbers 1 to 49, inclusive. The numbers 1 to 49 are assigned to the respective spaces 5 so that these spaces are numbered inconsecutive order beginning with the space at one of the corners of the board and then numbering the spaces of the several rows from the left hand side to the right hand s1de of the board, numbering all the spaces of each row before proceeding to the adJacent row, whereby the highest number (49) will indicate the space at the corner of the board which is diagonally opposite to the space bearing the number 1. The number assigned to each of the spaces 5 1s produced at four equi-distantly spaced pomts thereon, these points being arranged in a series surrounding the central marking 6 so that the number of each space may be read at a glance when the board is viewed from any one of the four sides thereof.

The spaces 5 which bear numbers divisible by 5 have the central markings 6 thereof spaced or otherwise formed to distinguish them from the central markings of the remaining squares, as forexample, the central marking 6 of the spaces indicated by the numbers divisible by 5 may be circular in configuration. The spaces indicated by the numbers divisible by 5 will further distinguish from the remaining spaces by having rings 7 produced thereon in encircling relationto both the numbers and the central markings of such spaces.

It will be observed that the space bearing the number 25 is located at the center of the board while the remaining spaces which are indicated by numbers divisible by 5 outline what may be considered a fi re which is square in configuration and which has the respective sides thereof disposed obliquely to the corresponding sides or edges of the board. The spaces defining-this last-mentioned square are conveniently accessible from the edges of the board.

Playing cards, such as indicated at 8, are used 1n conjunction with the game board. The cards are fifty in number, one number more than the number of spaces of the board. The extra card is termed thecheater and is so marked on the face thereof, being also identified bgla marking or indicia as indicated at 9. ach of the remaining cards bears on the face thereof a number which is produced on each corner portion thereof and is the same as the number on one of the spaces 5, whereby the respective cards, excluding the cheater will be numbered to correspond with the spaces on the face of the board. The cards which arenumberecl to correspond with the spaces bearing the numbers divisible by 5 have other markings thereon, as indicated at 10, to identify such cards with the corre sponding spaces on the board while the remaining cards (excluding the cheater and the cards which bear the numbers divisible by 5 have still different markings or indicia produced thereon, as indicated at 11, to identify such remaining cards with the spaces on the board other than those which bear the numbers divisible by 5.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the devlce, the operation thereof may be readily understood. Various games ma be played by means of the game board an the cards. For the'purpose of illustration, I shall describe the-playing of one game:

The cards are shuffled and a certain number thereof, as for instance, five, are dealt ,to each player. The remalning cards are then placed face downward upon the table on which the board rests ormay be laced on the board. The player holding the owest numbered card must play it face up on the correspondingly numbered space on the game board. The next player to the left may then play a card if he holds a card which corresponds in number to the number on any square laterally contiguous to the square on which the card which has been played rests. However, if such player does not have a card which can be played in accordance with the rule just stated, he must draw the top -card from the deck. If he then can play, he may do so or he may pass the play to the next player. The play then passes to the next player to the left, proceeding in the manner-just described, the cards to be played in each instance upon a space which is laterally contiguous to any one of the spaces on the game board on which a card has been played. After a card has been played upon the game board, the player cannot draw from the deck until his next regular turn. After the first card has been played, the cheater may be played by the holder in the place of any unplayed card, including that hearing the number 49. After all the cards have been drawn from the deck, each player, including the drawer of the last card must play a card cheater not excepted) in his turn, if he can do so. If he cannot play he passes in turn. Any player who passes a turn when he can play and should do so, must pay a penalty as, for instance, by; forfeiting a certain number of points. ach-card layed upon a number divisible by 5 entit es the playerto as many points as the number of the space on which the card is played. The player playing a card upon the last space of each row of seven spaces also is entitled to a certain number of points for each row of seven cards completed b the play, as, forv instance, ten pomts. hen a player exhausts his hand, he ends the game and must announce the play as last card and he is entitled to ten points for playing his last card and five points for each card in the hands of each of the other players in addition to any points made re larly by the play. Playing the card numfired 49, or the cheater in lieu thereof, ends the game and entitles the player to a count of fifty points for the play and five points for each card in the hands of the other pla ers, includin himself; also ten points -fbr each row 0 seven cards completed by the play, and if the player exhausts his hand he is entgaled to ten points for playing the last car Many other rules and directions for playing games with m improved game apparatus may be devlsed. For example, the cards may have the central markings thereon colored so that a certain number of cards have the same color while other sets of a like number of cards have different colors. Cards of the same color may then be arranged in rows with the players entitled to a certain number of points for each row which he forms with a given number of cards.

Obviously, my invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and I, therefore, consider as my own all modifications and adaptations thereof which fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a game apparatus, a game board having forty-nine spaces. provided on the face thereof, said spaces being arranged in a square consisting of seven parallel rows each containing seven spaces, said spaces being numbered sequentlally from 1 to 49, inclusive, beginning with one of the corner spaces and ending with the corner space diagonally opposite to the first-namedcorner space, each of said spaces also having a central marking produced thereon, the central marking on the spaces indicated by numbers divisible by 5 being of such character as to distingulsh such central marking from that on the remaining spaces, and a pack of fifty playing cards each adapted-to be placed on one of said spaces on the gameboard, one of said cards being designated cheater and being playable on any one of said spaces, and the respective remaining cards being numbered and marked to identify such cards with the corresponding spaces on the game board.

2. In a game apparatus a game board having a plurality of parallel rows of playing spaces produced thereon, each row having the same number of playing spaces as every other row and said playing spaces being numbered sequentially beginning with one of the corner spaces and ending with the corner space diagonally opposite to the first named corner space, the s ace of the first row bearing a certain num r and the spaces of the remaining rows that bear multlples of said certain number being additionally marked to distinguish such spaces from the remaining spaces of the board, and a pack of cards comprising one card more than the total number of playing spaces, one of said cards being marked tOdIStlDgBI lSh it from the remaining cards and the respective remaining cards being numbered to identify such cards with the corresponding spaces on the game board.

PALMER McCLLOM. 

